Forsaken
by KaLeRei
Summary: Love isn't an emotion needed to be expressed through words. And sometimes, it's not about what you did, but what you didn't do. It's not only opposites that attract. Zuko-Mai. ONESHOT.


::Uh, this is my first time writing for Avatar… and I just fell in love with Maiko. It's so, uh… unexplainable.

::I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. You already knew that.

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"**.Forsaken."**

Mai sighed, for the umpteenth time today, as she took of her coat to get ready for bed. The coat fell with a metallic clang on the floor, because the stand that was supposed to hold it up dropped from the weight of her concealed weapons.

She sighed, again, mentally scolding herself from forgetting to put the knives and a myriad of other pointed and sharp objects away before hanging up the coat. She delicately picked up each of her beloved weapons, hating herself for being so distracted. She saw her face in one of the knives' glistening edges.

Her parents didn't see the need for her to learn the art of bending fire, she was the daughter of a high ranking officer, all she had to do was marry well and appear to be the perfect lady: quiet, reserved, and obedient. Besides, she wasn't interested in doing something everyone else was already doing.

She had everything anyone would ever wish for, a family, money, social status, noble blood… but she never really smiled, she hasn't laughed in years, she's always just been this empty shell, devoid of emotion. She never got excited anymore. Nothing was special. I guess if you got used to getting everything you want, there wouldn't be anything else left to desire.

Her affinity with pointed weaponry started at a young age. It all started when she was bored, as always, and figured out that throwing metal chopsticks at an angle could make it get stuck on a wooden bedpost. Soon, she moved on to hitting real targets, with real knives… and she had to admit… it was fun. At first, her parents seemed deeply troubled at the fact that their only daughter had such a strange hobby, but decided to let her continue with it, particularly because she actually seemed to enjoy herself whenever she was playing with her knives.

Even if her hobby did give her something to do, everyday was still the same as yesterday… just as grey, just as gloomy, just as boring… that is, until he met… him.

They met on the day Azula, the fire nation princess, invited her and Ty Lee home after school. He was her friend's older brother, the fire prince, Zuko. It was extremely strange and tremendously awkward at first, but as time went on, they actually became sort-of friends, and there was something else… something they couldn't describe. And they both knew it wasn't just their common love for weaponry that brought them together.

In those few silent moments when they were little, just by the tree, or that pond, or the fountain, doing pretty much nothing, since Azula and Ty Lee mysteriously disappeared whenever she saw Zuko. In those few silent moments, Mai saw something worth feeling excited about, something that could actually make her smile. She had something to wish for again. But, at such a young age, she wasn't really sure what it was. All she was sure of was that she liked being around him.

Years passed by and the day came when the Fire Prince was exiled. It was horrific, she wished she could do something… anything to prevent this from happening, but there was nothing she could do. He was gone, and her world was pretty much back to the way it was, just empty… maybe not being able to get what you desired was worse than not desiring anything at all. It was like a part of herself was taken away.

Mai was back to her bleak, gloomy self again. She greatly improved on her concealed weapons handling, and she moved on to using other weapons as well. But it felt like everyday was yesterday, and she was getting more and more bored of her life. She wanted to do something, _anything_ that was interesting… when Zuko's sister Azula asked for her help to find her brother and uncle, she immediately took the chance, whether it was just because she was bored, or because she wanted to see the prince again, she wasn't even sure anymore.

Then, after three years of exile, Zuko was back. It was like everything was right with the world again, but if you were Mai, it wouldn't show. But she didn't need to tell him anything. He knew it all. They had a strange relationship. Mostly they just sat down, doing practically nothing, sometimes talking about this and that, and how everything in the world was pathetic, and not really meaning it. She could smile and laugh again. She was happy, and she showed it in her own unique way. She wasn't the silent shy girl she once was anymore.

The weirdest thing about their relationship? They acted like totally different people when they were around each other. Mai was no longer the jaded cynic she usually was. When she was with Zuko, she smiled, she teased, and heck, she even laughed. And Zuko wasn't angry, confused or troubled when they were together. Sure, they talked about each other's problems, and Mai was one of the very few people the prince would actually reveal his inner self to, but together, Zuko was actually more of an awkward teenager than a Fire Nation prince. They were so much alike, yet so opposite at the same time.

Mai smiled slightly at her reflection at the knife's edge after reminiscing the past. She began to put all her weapons in order, because each had its proper place in her room. There was about a hundred secret compartments in here containing everything from daggers to chains, to any sort of weaponry you could imagine. Her bedside drawer alone was where she kept the weapons that she usually brought along with her.

She then lay flat on the bed, ready to go to sleep and get some rest, Zuko might be coming to visit her again. She was surprised to find a piece of paper there, neatly rolled up like it was left there for her. She raised an eyebrow, but took it in her hand and opened it anyway. She could recognize that handwriting anywhere. It was Zuko's, and he left her. He left her a damn letter! Not even bothering to go tell her in person. If he looked her in the eyes, and explained why he was leaving, she would still probably get hurt, but at least she could stick a knife in him for doing it.

At that moment she probably felt the most emotion she had in years. She was angry, depressed, mortified, and confused all at the same time. She wanted to rip the letter to shreds, or go and find Zuko and stick a knife in his heart, then rip him to shreds. It was just like he just ripped her heart out and broke it into a thousand shattered little pieces.

She hated the fact that he could make her feel this way, that he actually had this kind of control over her, that he could make her break that cold, hard shell she's wrapped around herself all these years. She hated that for the first time in a really long while, tears were falling from her eyes.

She couldn't accept that it hurt so much that it was like death was a better option.

But Mai wasn't about to let Zuko get off that easily, he was going to pay for this, he's going to explain this to her. She won't let him just do this to her and abandon her like this. Why didn't he even bother to tell her... why didn't he just take her with him?

She didn't know why, even after he left her like this and broke her heart… she still couldn't hate him.

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:I find it interesting that they love each other without saying the word 'love'. All their other lines are really unique too. I think Maiko is officially my second-favorite pairing EVER. And it's not just because we get to see Zuko's dweeby side when they're together.

:A nod to all couples that shamelessly ignore the 'opposites attract' rule.

:THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW!


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